The U.S. House of Representatives passed the four-year $59.7 billion Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization and Reform Act

, which would cut federal spending on aviation programs by $4 billion and limit airline and railway employees' ability to unionize. The bill allows abstentions in votes on union representation to be counted as "no" votes. After two days of heated debate, the bill was approved 223-196 with heavy Republican support. Some Democrats who opposed the bill claimed FAA's budget needed to be increased and collective bargaining rights should remain status quo, but efforts to strip the bill of associated language failed. The House and Senate, which in February approved a two-year FAA reauthorization bill, will reconcile a final version to submit to President Barack Obama. However, earlier this week, a statement from the White House indicated that Obama would veto an FAA bill that constrained the unionization of workers.